Photography
Didier Vivien
Over nearly 40 years of research, photographer Didier Vivien has compiled an exceptional documentary book on coal and the history of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin. He began his incredible photographic journey in the 1980s, when the last mines were closing, and continued his exploration of the changes to the landscape resulting from the end of this industry.
This immersion led him to undertake significant historical research and write two essays for this book: a social history of the challenges facing the coal industry from the 1720s to the present day, richly illustrated with archival documents, and a reflection on documentary photography, its practice, and its transformations.
The 640 pages of the book are divided into two parts:
• 1/ An archaeology of mining sites
Five series of black-and-white photographs taken from the 1980s onwards, focusing on the places, tools, and culture of mining, up to the closure of the last pits in the Basin in 1990.
• 2/ A study of the region at the dawn of the 21st century
Five color photographic series presenting the changes and reinvention of the region after the end of mining. The division into sectors (Denain and Valenciennes, Douai and Aniche, Hénin-Beaumont and Carvin, Lens and Liévin, Bruay-Labuissières and Auchel) highlights the uniqueness of each territory (mining heritage, diversity of mining housing, landscape morphology, etc.).
LA VIE SUR TERRE, 29 x 28 cm, 640 pages, over 800 two-color and four-color reproductions
Graphic design: Danish Pastry Design
